Fifth Week In Ordinary Time (Luke 5: 1-11) "Am I Proud of My Weakness"
Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Luke 5:1-11) “Am I Proud of my Weakness?”
An old story asks the question who is the perfect priest? The response is:
The perfect priest preaches exactly 12 minutes.
He frequently condemns sin but never upsets anyone.
He is 28 years old and has 30 years of experience.
He makes $60 week, wears good clothes, buys good books,
Drives a good car, and gives about $50 a week to the poor,
He speaks boldly on social issues but is not politically motivated.
He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all this time with senior citizens.
He makes 15 house calls a day on parish families, visits shut-ins and the hospitalized, evangelizes lost souls and in his office at all times.
We have not found a person like this yet, but this is the job description.
We must wonder if this is the type of person that Jesus was trying to find when he went out looking for Apostles? Jesus was seeking people like himself. What qualities did he value most?
In modern philosophical discussions Socrates and Jesus are compared. The contrast is made in terms of how they died. Which was more admirable? Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 in Athens. He was a wandering teacher. He was known as a gadfly which meant that he questioned the status quo. He pointed out the weakness of the government of Athens. He questioned the religion of the city. At first his Greek audience was all right with his critique, but when the society started to fray apart, he was arrested. He was accused of corrupting the youth. He was also accused of being an atheist because he didn’t believe in the religion of Athens. He felt that he had found higher wisdom. Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking poison. The nobles wanted him to deny his teaching. He could have paid a fine and lived, but Socrates chose to die. He believed that it was more important to stick to his principles. He thought his trial was a sham. He was calm in the face of death. Socrates believed that truth was something worth making the ultimate sacrifice for. He was strong to the end.
Jesus died for many of the same reasons that Socrates did. He challenged the misuse of power in Israel. For that he was sentenced to death. Jesus’ demeaner in the face of death is less heroic perhaps. In the garden of Gethsemane as he anticipates the passion, he is in anguish. At his trial the next day, he meets accusations with a lot of silence. He didn’t enter long arguments with accusers. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus cries out from the cross, “My God, my God, why has though forsaken me?” Jesus projects uncertainty in death. Is there something appealing about ministers who have experienced despair in life?
When we hear of the call of Peter, we would have to say maybe there is. After the miraculous catch of fish, Peter kneels in front of Jesus. He says something one would think would disqualify him from being an apostle. He says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus isn’t dissuaded from choosing Peter. No, he seems to feel he has found just the man he is looking for. Weakness, as a qualification for discipleship, is something that St. Paul talks about often in his writings. St. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.”
When we think of our own lives, we might reflect on the type of minister we are drawn to. When we’re struggling with our own sinfulness, do we seek out ministers who never seem to have had a doubt about faith? We don’t look for confessors, for example, who seem like they have never sinned. We look for someone who fights the same spiritual battles as we do.
Every Christian is asked to make disciples of others. To do that we have to know our weaknesses. How do we feel about Christians who seem to have Biblical quote for every one of life’s problems? How do we feel about Catholics who seem to have a doctrine that clarifies every one of life’s mysteries? Is that reassuring or disconcerting? If we run into that type of person, meaningful conversations don’t go very far.
When Peter talked about his own faith you can bet that his personal story began with his many failures. Only then did he talk about the strength he found following Jesus. When Paul was preaching, he would speak about his unbelief before speaking of how his encounter with the risen Lord changed him. Many of his letters reflected his insecurities.
Jesus knew that he needed people who were going to be vulnerable in order to help others to find hope in the Gospel. People who could say, I know how you feel because I have been there, in fact I am still struggling at times, but not without hope. Our attitude is that of Job, who in a storm (which is his life), says in Job 19:25, “I know that my redeemer is living and in the end on the earth he shall be revealed.” Jesus knew we must admit weakness before we find actual grace.
Reflection Questions:
1. Am I uncomfortable around people who have all the answers? Why?
2. Can I share my insecurity with others? What is the result of that?
Dear Parishioners,
As Christians we practice stewardship. We need ongoing contributions from parish members if we are going to have a healthy Christian Community. During the last couple of years our church community has had to function at a distance. We have kept in touch through social media and by newsletter and mail and on the phone. This has all been important but it is not the person to person contact we are used to.
In the weeks ahead, it is hoped that we will not have to worry about being in physical proximity with one another. This will mean that we can engage in ministry with a more personal touch, but we need ministers to engage with parishioners. We need to build up our liturgical ministries and other ministries as well.
For that reason, we will be having our first stewardship Sunday in a long time on February 19 and 20. There will be an opportunity to sign up to be a reader, for example, or to help with our funeral luncheons. These are essential activities in our parish. I would encourage everyone to pray about whether you can donate your time.
I was talking with me about how we need to be in physical proximity to each other for our own mental health. We could say the same about our spiritual health. As we move toward that time when we can interact and not be as fearful, consider if you might want to be Christ in the flesh by taking up a ministry at Sacred Heart.
May Our Lady and all the Angels watch over you this Week.
Fr. Mark